If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

jot

I want to know the meaning of "I can jot down lots of website"...jot in my languange is translated as[or by] "nothing" so i can't make head and tails of this phrase. If i have any mistakes in my post[though i am sure about that] please feel free to also correct this one..Thx a lot, Regards!

Re: jot

Hi, and welcome to Using English.

To "jot" something down means to write it down very quickly.

You jot down a quick note, you jot down an address for someone, you jot down the person's phone number that you have to call later... in this case, you are quickly writing down to suggested Web sites for the person to try.

I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

Re: jot

There are two different sorts of 'jot'. We have the 'nothing' meaning as well - in the expression 'not a jot'. But the 'nothing' meaning is related to the 'writing' sense. In fact lots of 'nothing' words are related to small amounts of something: Fr. 'ne... rien' = 'not a thing' (Lat. REM=a thing); It. 'ne... mica' = 'not a crumb'. Small amounts of writing were 'a jot or a tittle' - referring to the writing af Hebrew (Google that phrase for some very balanced religious views!)

(When I say 'related', I mean 'related in meaning'. I don't know whether they're related in etymology - but it wouldn't surprise me.)